Investigators from VHIO, which is part of the Vall Hebron Campus, publish the first study to address the impact of the exposome on early-onset colorectal cancer through epigenetic signatures.

The researchers compared epigenetic methylation marks in patients with early-onset colorectal cancer with those of patients with late-onset colorectal cancer and confirmed previously identified risk factors including diet, education level, and smoking.

They have now identified exposure to picloram, a widely used herbicide, as a new risk factor associated with the development of colorectal cancer in individuals younger than 50 years old. Using population data, the investigators report that US counties with a higher use of this pesticide have higher rates of early-onset colorectal cancer, even after accounting for socioeconomic factors and the use of other pesticides.

Published today in Nature Medicine, this research has been possible thanks to the funding received from the "la Caixa" Foundation and the Spanish Association Against Cancer.

A new international survey led by the International Osteoporosis Foundation reveals that adults living with hypophosphataemic osteomalacia (HO), a rare metabolic bone disorder, face a substantial and often under-recognised disease burden, with wide variation in how the condition is managed worldwide.

A new study, published in Anatomical Sciences Education, provides evidence that researchers and scientific organizations can significantly improve public access to accurate, high-quality information through structured engagement with Wikipedia, one of the most widely used knowledge platforms in the world and an increasingly influential source for both search engines and artificial intelligence systems.

A new international paper shows how global indicators for climate communication and education (CCE) can support stronger climate policies and more effective action. Through extensive collaboration, researchers developed 15 global indicators that translate complex climate education data into actionable insights. These indicators help governments and organizations track progress, identify gaps, and strengthen climate responses worldwide.

An Indigenous-led study of Perth primary schools has found that educators often rely on symbolic gestures rather than meaningful action to support Aboriginal children at school, prompting calls for Noongar storytelling, ceremony and language to be embedded in the curriculum and mandatory training for non-Aboriginal teachers.

A new case report in ECNU Review of Education describes how Chongqing No. 8 Secondary School, a high-performing public secondary school in China, pursued educational transformation from within an already successful system. Rather than replacing established structures, the school began with a small pilot program built around personalised learning, student agency, and real-world problem-finding and problem-solving. The study suggests that sustainable school change depends on protected experimentation, structural alignment, and leadership that safeguards reform during its early stages.